This invention relates to the concealment of baldness of the human scalp and more particularly to an improved method of and means for providing hair at the human scalp.
The use of hairpieces and wigs to cover bald spots of the human scalp is well known in the prior art. Various methods have been proposed for fastening the hairpieces in the desired position with respect to the scalp in order to avoid the accidental displacement thereof and consequent embarrassment.
For example, hairpieces have been made in the form of a skull cap designed to fit the head closely and have been attached to the scalp by various forms of adhesive. Such hairpieces are essentially temporary in their placement and impose strict limitations on the activity of the wearer. For example, any activity resulting in substantial perspiration at the scalp or direct physical contact even of liquids or fluids with the head of the wearer may result in displacement of the hairpiece.
Thus, it has been common in the prior art to attach hairpieces to the scalp more permanently by "weaving" techniques in which the remaining natural hair of the wearer is used to anchor the hairpiece to the scalp. Such techniques can only be used where there is sufficient remaining natural hair available adjacent the bald spot and tend to be expensive because the hairpiece must be periodically readjusted and reattached as the natural hair of the wearer grows longer and loosens the initial placement of the hairpiece.
In order to avoid the maintenance expense of "weaving" techniques, or where there is insufficient remaining natural hair available to allow such techniques to be used, various devices such as loops or stitches have been surgically implanted directly into the scalp to which a hairpiece may be attached. However, such devices have concentrated tensile forces applied by or to the hairpiece at limited points of the scalp tending to produce a tearing of the scalp tissue and resulting in discomfort if not actual pain and injury.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved method of and means for providing hair at the human scalp which is substantially permanent and which facilitates normal maintenance of the hair and scalp without requiring frequent adjustment or reattachment.
It is another primary object of this invention to provide hair at the human scalp by a surgical method and means with improved comfort and safety.